Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest

Enjoy live music every weekend in July with the Minnesota Orchestra and all the Peavey Plaza performers

Whoever said less is more didn’t know what they were talking about. More is more (and better), especially when it’s free, involves music, and takes place every weekend in July. We’re talking about one of the best combinations since chocolate and peanut butter: the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest and free music in Peavey Plaza.

Since 1903, the 98-member Minnesota Orchestra has been wowing audiences and getting rave reviews from such publications as the New Yorker and the New York Times. They’ve also garnered a reputation for mixing things up in the classical-music world through programs like Sommerfest, now in its 32nd year.

Tomorrow kicks off three weeks of brass and strings that will please your ears (and your pocketbooks). Here, a mini-guide to enjoying this summer treat:

  • Step one: But a ticket to one of the nine concerts in Orchestra Hall. Choose from an ode to the Beatles, classics from Mozart and Beethoven, or or feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman as opera singers tell a story of star-crossed lovers.
  • Step two: Come early and scope out the food trucks. Gourmet sausages, savory ice cream, and fresh kettle corn will all be battling to fill your rumbling stomach. Take your local fare, grab a chair (or a bench), and listen to the free music filling Peavey Plaza.
  • Step three: Go enjoy that concert you paid for! And if it’s a Friday or Saturday, head back to Peavey Plaza afterward for more tunes to finish off your night.

Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest
Friday, July 8–Saturday, July 23
Times vary, see schedule
Prices vary
minnesotaorchestra.org